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Somerset-born Button tweeted last Friday to say he had been “taken out by a wasp” after being “stung between the eyes”, forcing him to miss an appearance on Graham Norton’s television chat show.

A week later the 34-year-old McLaren driver was showing no signs of his encounter, other than a red spot where the sting had been.

“I looked a bit freaky,” said Button, ahead of this weekend’s race in Austria as Formula One returns to the country after an 11-year gap.

“I looked like an Avatar, with tiny little eyes pushed out there (indicating pointing left and right), so it was a bit weird.
“It was overnight as well. I woke up, looked in the mirror and fell over with shock.

“I just had an allergic reaction. My sister had the same thing the same week where she massively swelled up, but you also feel sick and have a headache.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that before. It’s the weirdest thing because even the smallest change to your face, when you look in the mirror it’s pretty strange.”